285 - “It’s Nice to Know I’m not Alone”: The Impact of an Online Life Coaching Program on Wellness in Graduate Medical Education: A Qualitative Analysis

Poster Number: 285
Publication Number: 285.421

Kimiko Dunbar, Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver, CO, United States; Tyra Fainstad, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States; Adrienne Mann, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO, United States; Pari Shah, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States; Nathalie Dieujuste, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Commerce City, CO, United States; Christine D. Jones, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States

Background: Physician trainees, especially those who identify as female, are disproportionately affected by burnout compared to their non-physician age-matched peers. Physicians experience tremendous clinical growth in training, however little time is dedicated to metacognition (“thinking about your thinking” and reflecting on your emotional state nonjudgmentally), a necessary tool for processing experiences, forming professional identities, and creating individualized definitions of values and success. A 6-month, web-based group coaching program, Better Together Physician Coaching ("Better Together"), was developed and facilitated by trained life coaches and physicians (TF and AM) to decrease burnout.

Objective: To explore how a positive coaching program affects participant wellbeing.

Design/Methods: 17 graduate medical trainees from a single institution who identified as women and participated in the 6-month coaching program were included. The coaching program was a self-paced, asynchronous group program containing multiple components including live coaching calls, unlimited written coaching, and weekly self-study webinars and worksheets. Semi-structured interviews of participants who had completed the coaching program were conducted from May to June of 2021. Both inductive and deductive methods were used in collecting and analyzing the data. Rapid domain analysis was used to analyze the data as it was collected.

Results: Three themes emerged from the data; Practicing metacognition as a tool for healthy coping, building a sense of community, and having a customizable experience. Practicing metacognition as a tool for healthy coping was the primary theme. Residents reported that practicing metacognition provided a tangible and accessible tool specifically pertaining to sub-themes of burnout, self-compassion, imposter syndrome and managing relationships.Conclusion(s): Female identifying trainees in graduate medical education experience burnout, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome. A physician-led group coaching program based in metacognition enabled participants to reflect on and reframe beliefs around their experience of their work and professional lives for healthier coping. Additionally, the community created by the program allowed for normalization, empathy, and self-compassion. Having a customizable experience with multiple modalities for participation allowed participants with complex and irregular schedules and varying learning and communication preferences to benefit. Group coaching may offer a meaningful strategy to mitigate burnout and foster community.